Passion: The Main Ingredient

Real-world triumphs and success stories are always the most inspiring. I read a great one in the March issue of US Airways Magazine. It was an excerpt from “Rubies In The Orchard,” a marketing strategy book written by Lynda Resnick, the “PomQueen” who defied conventional wisdom when she created a market for POM Wonderful pomegranate juice.

She and her husband, Stewart, own Paramount Farms and Paramount Citrus and are the largest farmers of tree crops in the United States, with the nation’s largest orchards and processing plants for citrus, almonds and pistachios. They also have a link to our industry as owners of Teleflora, the world’s largest floral service company. After purchasing Teleflora in 1979, it was Lynda’s vision in 1980 to pair fresh cut floral arrangements with keepsake containers as “Flowers in a Gift.”

This woman has had a fascinating 40-year career in marketing running her own full-service advertising agency beginning at age 19 and also being involved with very large-scale agricultural production. She’s a great writer, so I was immediately drawn into her story about launching POM Wonderful.

More than 20 years ago, the couple purchased more than 100 acres of mature pomegranate trees in California’s San Joaquin Valley and planted hundreds more through the 1990’s. Wonderful is the name of the variety they grow. Although pomegranates are a niche crop, they were still handled like a commodity. They also aren’t the type of fruit people eat every day because they require some work to peal and eat the ruby-colored arils. The flesh is not eaten.

In consumer studies, only one in 10 Americans were familiar with pomegranates and less than half of that group had eaten one in the past year. But in the rest of the world, there are centuries worth of folklore and medicinal uses for pomegranates.

Lynda and Stewart funded research at several leading universities to see if there was any scientific proof pomegranate juice has healing properties. The results were astounding. They learned pomegranate juice is rich in antioxidants, reduces arterial plaque, inhibits pain and inflammation and is even effective against prostate cancer.

The next step was to learn how to make the juice consistently and find a market for it. All the business advisors and marketing experts suggested just making the juice a blend with filler juices along side all the other juices at the supermarket. Lynda said that strategy would be completely wrong. This juice was like a fine burgundy and potentially the most healthful nectar on the planet. It deserved to be in a special bottle that promoted heart-health benefits and sold in the refrigerated juice section.

While the naysayers said, “No one will pay $3.50 for a small bottle of juice,” demand outdistanced supply by 300 percent. The health message and premium positioning worked because the benefits and differentiation were real. We’ve also seen this play out in the best marketing strategies in our industry with Wave petunias, Knock Out roses and Proven Winners. You need to pair strong marketing and packaging with the right products. Good marketing for inferior products leads to a dead end.

Resnick also emphasizes the people side, how important it is to be convinced of the value of your products. “Before you spend a nickel to convince a consumer of anything, make sure you’ve convinced yourself and the people in your office,” she says. “If even a small core of consumers begins to have faith in your product, you’ve got the building blocks of a winner.”

What will be the next big perennial? Breeders say it takes more than a splashy plant to distinguish itself in the market. Therefore, the question is not what will be the next big perennial, but rather what perennial performs well enough in the garden to have staying power in the market for years to come.

The industry's goal is to have loyal customers who return to the same plants time and time again, not because of price, but owing to a plant brand that shouts top-notch garden performance and is synonymous with excellence, which gives them the secure knowledge that their investment will be worth every hard-earned cent.

The annual meet for the International Plant Propagators' Society (IPPS) Western Region has been set for this September. It will take place September 23 to 26 in Modesto, Calif., and will include learning sessions, tours to local nurseries, a research poster display and poster presentations, various networking opportunities and an awards banquet to close the event.

The management of Myers Lawn and Garden Group, along with Wingate Partners V, L.P. have recently acquired the Myers Industries, Inc. Lawn and Garden business. The new company is named The HC Companies, and will continue as a North American leading provider of horticulture containers supplying the greenhouse, nursery and retail markets.

While meeting during the Flower and Vegetable Seed Conference in Tampa, Fla., hosted by the American Seed Trade Association, All-America Selections elected new officers for a two-year term. Read on to learn about the new officers, as well as all of the new judges that were added in 2014.

Greenhouse Grower magazine, the nation’s leader in profits, production and education for greenhouse growers, announces the launch of its completely redesigned website, GreenhouseGrower.com. The new design is the product of direct user feedback and GreenhouseGrower.com analytics, and includes responsive design for ease of mobile use.

Ronald Valentin has been appointed technical lead for Syngenta Bioline, effective January 2015. He will be responsible for technical support of Bioline biological control agents and will be instrumental in helping growers develop integrated pest management (IPM) solutions.

When Bailey Nurseries purchased its long-time breeding partner, Plant Introductions, Inc. (PII), in early January 2015, it freed the PII team to concentrate on what they do best: develop new plants. Bailey Nurseries will take on the business management side of the partnership, but otherwise the relationship it has enjoyed with PII for years will be largely unchanged.

Bailey Nurseries has acquired Plant Introductions, Inc. (PII), effective January 1, 2015. PII has developed numerous innovative new varieties that have been marketed worldwide, many introduced by Bailey Nurseries.

Dramm Corp. recently welcomed Fritz Dramm as the new fertilizer production and compliance manager. Dramm previously worked at the company through high school and college, and is back after 20-plus years.

Succession planning is a sensitive subject, but one that needs to be addressed when deciding on your operation's legacy. Greenhouse Grower caught up with two growers who shared their process and provided tips for a smooth transition.